Ch 14 Formation of Western Europe

800-1500

Church Reform and the Crusades

Sec 1

What was the economic system of the feudal system?

The Crusades

• Crusade- holy war

• In 1093, Pope Urban II issued a call to Christians to take back the holy land from the Muslims that were threatening the Byzantine Empire

Causes of the Crusades

• Eliminate the Muslim threat to Constantinople and Christian holy sites

• Reunite the eastern and western half of the Church

• Get rid of the knights who were fighting all the time

• Promote business

First and Second Crusade

• The First Crusade left Constantinople in 1097

• It was successful but fell back to the Muslims in 1144

• The Second Crusade attempted to take back Jerusalem but failed

Third Crusade

• Third Crusade- holy war led by Richard the Lionheart against Saladin

• After years of fighting the Third Crusade ends in a truce with Jerusalem in Muslim control but Christians are allowed to freely visit

Crusading Dwindles

• After the failure of six different Crusades during the 1200s, the religious spirit of the First Crusade gradually faded and the search for personal gain grew

Children’s Crusade

• The Children’s Crusade took place in 1212, when 30,000 children under 18 set out to conquer Jerusalem

• They were armed only with the belief that God would give them Jerusalem

• Those that didn’t die on the journey were sold into slavery

Reconquista

• Reconquista- effort by the Spanish to drive the Muslims out of Spain, finally accomplished in 1492

Inquistion

• Inquisition- court held by the Church to suppress heresy

• Heretics- people whose religious beliefs were different from that of the Church (Jews, Muslims)

• Under threat of torture, many Jews and Muslims in Spain converted

• She's a witch!

Effects of the Crusades

• Expansion of trade

• Weakened the power of the Pope

• Thousands of people lost their lives

• Fall of Constantinople weakened the Byzantine Empire

• Bitterness and hatred between Muslims and Christians

Changes in Medieval Society

Sec 2

Changes in Society

• Between 1000-1300, agriculture, trade, and finance made significant advances

• Cultural interaction with the Muslim and Byzantine Empire sparked the growth of learning

Growing Food Supply

• Europe’s revival would have been impossible without improvements in farming

• A warmer climate and new farming techniques such as the use of horses helped to increase production

Three-Field System

• Three-field System- farming technique where farmers plant 2 fields and leave one fallow (unplanted) every year

• This new technique increased food supplies and caused people to live longer

Guilds

• Guilds- organizations of individuals in the same business or occupation working to improve the economic and social conditions of its members

• Merchants banded together to control the number of goods being traded to keep prices up

• Guilds set standards for quality of work, wages, and working conditions

Effects of Guilds

• Guilds brought more and better products to people all over Europe

Commercial Revolution

• Commercial Revolution- expansion of trade and business that transformed economics in the 16th and 17th centuries

• During the Commercial Revolution more goods from foreign lands became available as trade routes spread

• Business and banking increased as merchants began to look for more profits

Effects of the Commercial Revolution

• End of the feudal system- serfs move to towns for paid work

• More money available to create new businesses

• Increased in tax revenues increased the power and wealth of kings

Urban Life

• From 1100-1150 the population of Europe increased from 30 million to 42 million

• There were not many large cities in Europe but small towns flourished

What was life like in a medieval town?

Medieval Towns

• Medieval towns were exciting and bustling but they had some drawbacks

• Streets were narrow and filled with animals and their waste

• With no sewers, people dumped household and human waste onto the streets in front of the house

• Most people never bathed

Revival of Learning

• Contact with the Muslims and Byzantines during the Crusades brought about a new interest in learning

• Through this contact, the work of Greek philosophers was rediscovered in Europe

• During this time the first universities arose in Europe

England and France Develop

Sec 3

Early Nations

• The earliest nations in Europe to develop a strong unified government were England and France

Foundations of Government

• English King Henry II ruled from 1154 to 1189• He strengthened the royal courts by sending

judges to every part of England• Henry II also introduced trial by jury, where 12

neighbors of the accused would answer questions from the judge

• Over the centuries the rulings of royal judges formed a unified body of law known as common law

Magna Carta

• After the death of Richard the Lionhearted his brother John took the throne

• John was cruel to his subjects and tried to squeeze as much money out of them as possible

• The nobles revolted and on June 15, 1215 they forced John to agree to the Magna Carta

Magna Carta

• The Magna Carta guarantees certain basic political rights

• The Magna Carta guaranteed what are now considered basic legal rights in England and the United States

Parliament

• In 1295, King Edward I summoned two burgesses (citizens of wealth and property) from every borough and two knights from every county to serve as a parliament, or legislative group

• This is now called the model parliament because later kings followed the same model

• As time went on parliament became stronger and acted as a check on royal power

• Roundabout

Formation of France

• Hugh Capet was undistinguished duke that ruled a small kingdom in the middle of France

• Capet was not powerful but his territory included Paris

• Over time power of the Capetian kings spread from Paris as the city became more important to trade

French Government

• In France, Church leaders were known as the First Estate and the great lords as the Second Estate

• Under King Philip IV commoners were allowed to join the meetings and became the Third Estate

• The whole meeting became known as the Estates General

• Unlike Parliament the Estates General never was able to limit the kings power but the Third Estate played an important role in the French Revolution

Beginnings of Democracy

• England and France were just beginning to establish a democratic tradition

• The tradition rested on setting up a centralized government that would be able to govern widespread lands

The Hundred Years’ War and the Plague

Sec 4

The Plague Strikes

• During the 1300s, an epidemic struck parts of Asia, North Africa, and Europe

• About 1/3 of the population of Europe died of the deadly disease known as the bubonic plague

• The plague was so terrifying that it would rip apart the fabric of society

Origins of the Plague

• The plague began in Asia• Through trade routes it infected parts of Asia,

the Muslim world, and Europe• In 1347, a fleet of Genoese merchant ships

arrived in Sicily carrying the bubonic plague• From there it swept through Italy and followed

trade routes to Spain, France, Germany, England and other parts of Europe and North Africa

Spread of the Plague

• In about 4 years the plague reached every corner of Europe

• While some communities were unharmed others lost 2/3s to 3/4s of their population

• About 25 million Europeans died

• Bring out your dead!

What were the effects of the plague?

Effects of the Plague

• Town populations fell

• Trade declined, prices rose

• Shortage of labor

• Peasant revolt caused by demand for higher wages

• Jews were blamed for bringing the plague and persecuted

• Decline of Church power

The Hundred Years’ War

• At the same time as the plague, England and France were constantly at war with each other

• In 1337, England’s Edward III launched a war for control of France that would last until 1453 that became known as the Hundred Years’ War

Effects of the Hundred Years’ War

• The Hundred Years’ war changed warfare in Europe

• The use of the longbow marked the end of chivalry

• Use of the longbow in battle negated the power of knights

• England was driven from France

• End of the Middle Ages

Joan of Arc

• Joan of Arc- French teenage peasant girl who led French forces to victory at the siege of Orleans in 1429

• Joan was eventually captured by English forces and turned over to the Church

• On May 30, 1431, she was burned at the stake for being a heretic